Springboks borrow playbook from under-14 B schools team
Lock Ruan Nortje was lifted to receive a pass, and as he came down to the ground, it created a driving maul from which the Springboks could use their powerful forwards.
They received penalty advantage on both occasions as the Italians immediately infringed, but did not need it as centre Canan Moodie and hooker Malcolm Marx crossed for tries.
When the powers that be drew up the laws of the game at the line-out, they certainly did not envisage them being used in general play, but Erasmus, who said he was 'fairly happy' with his team's performance, has found a way to legally exploit them.
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IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Nigel Owens says Springboks should have been penalised for illegal scrum tactic
Penalty Former referee Nigel Owens believes the Springboks' scrum tactic in last weekend's Test against Italy in Gqeberha should have been deemed illegal and against the spirit of the game. Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Image: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP The Springboks broke the law with their scrum tactic in the second Test against Italy and should have been penalised, said former referee Nigel Owens. Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks created a stir with a number of contentious tactics in the second Test against the Italians in Gqeberha, which they won 45-0. Right off the bat, the Boks manufactured a scrum off the kick-off when André Esterhuizen went ahead of kicker Manie Libbok, resulting in a scrum being awarded for having a player in front of the kicker. Later in the match, the Boks came up with another tactic that saw Ruan Nortjé being lifted to secure a ball in the middle of the park. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading According to Owens, a penalty should have been given to Italy, while the lifting incident is open for interpretation. 'The key word is 'deliberate'. Normally, in this kind of situation, if a player is in front of the kick-off, it's deemed to be offside and a scrum is awarded. What we saw in this instance is that it looks deliberate. It's a ploy, an action to get a scrum. 'In this instance, if I was refereeing this game, that would have been a pretty straightforward, clear penalty because it's not the normal action of being slightly in front,' said the Welshman when talking to England great Ugo Monye on Whistle Watch on YouTube. On Nortjé being lifted in the middle of the field, again, Owens felt it was a grey issue that was open for interpretation. 'A player being lifted in the air to catch the ball from a kick-off is perfectly legal. We see it every game and nothing's wrong with it at all. Within the laws, this is not an illegal action. 'Is it against the sportsmanship of the game or is it an unfair advantage? If a guy is in the air, the defenders cannot do anything to compete for that ball. You can't touch the player or bind around those who are supporting him. The opposition pretty much have to wait for him to come down, then they can do something. 'It's a very clever ploy. Some like it, some think it's not right, but it all comes down to whether you think it's fair.' Owens went on to discuss Jasper Wiese's red card, which was shown to him after a supposed headbutt on an opponent. While many commentators in South Africa have felt it was a headbutt and the red card was a harsh sanction, Owens felt it was appropriate given the coming together of heads. Wiese has since been suspended for four matches following a World Rugby disciplinary hearing and will be available for selection again on September 13 when the Boks play the All Blacks in Wellington. IOL Sport Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
The South African
8 hours ago
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Rassie praises process that saw Jasper Wiese suspended
Earlier this week it was confirmed that Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese has been suspended for four matches as a result of the the red card he received for a 'headbutt' against Italy. Appearing at a full Disciplinary Committee hearing, Wiese accepted that foul played had occurred, but did not accept that the offence warranted a red card. Nevertheless, the ban he received did not come as much of a surprise, and Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus – who has previously raised issues with World Rugby's former disciplinary process – admitted they could have no complaints. 'I thought the whole hearing this morning was top class,' Erasmus commented. 'Jasper got his chance to be honest about what he thinks. 'The way the chair lady ran the whole thing was clear – just the way they listened to what Jasper said. I think getting four matches banned is fair. 'There can be excuses and other opinions, but we were really comfortable. There are good protocols in place with everything, from referee communication to laws to input on high-performance structures to the disciplinary committee. 'It's four games, and we had a really fair trial, and easy to understand. So we are not happy for him missing games, but satisfied with how it was handled,' he emphasised. The eighthman will be back in contention for selection for the last three Rugby Championship matches in September and October. The ban will rule him out of the closing Incoming Series match against Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday, as well as the first three Rugby Championship Tests against Australia in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively (16 and 23 August), and the first game against New Zealand in Auckland (6 September). He will be free to play the second All Blacks Test in Wellington (13 September), and the two matches against Argentina in Durban and London (27 September and 4 October). Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
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